Young cow and herdsmen from the south frieze of the
Parthenon
The Acropolis, Athens, Greece, about 438-432
BC
Scene from a procession of sacrificial victims
The procession of the Panathenaic festival accompanied cattle
and sheep to the Acropolis, where they were slaughtered at a great
altar. In the rendering of the procession on the Parthenon frieze,
ten cattle were shown on the south frieze, while four cattle and
four sheep were shown on the north.
The beast shown here has been immortalized in the poet John
Keats' 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' as the 'heifer lowing at the skies'.
Keats seems to have derived his imagery from several pieces of
sculpture, possibly including an ancient marble vase that cannot
now be identified.
The unfortunate heifer is trying to break free from its minders.
Three youths in long cloaks (himatia) struggle to restrain
her. Their draperies contrast pleasingly with the broad, flat flank
of the animal.
I. Jenkins, The Parthenon Frieze (London, The British Museum Press, 1994)